At Least 46 Reported Dead In Himachal Landslide

A massive landslide killed at least 46 people and injured several others at Kotpuri near Padhar on the Mandi Pathankot national highway today, officials said.

The toll could rise further as over 50 passengers were travelling in the two buses hit by the landslide, which was triggered by a cloud burst, they said. Some other vehicles may also have been hit by the landslide, the officials said.

"Forty-six bodies have been recovered, and of these 23 have been identified," an official said.

Rescue operations were suspended late evening as there were apprehensions of more landslides, he said. The rescue work would resume tomorrow.

Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the Army and the police rushed to the spot and heavy earth-moving machinery was deployed at the gorge where the two buses lay buried under a heap of debris.

Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh visited the spot. He said that eight passengers were travelling in the Manali-Katra Volvo bus, of whom three lost their lives, while five were rescued and taken to the zonal hospital in Mandi.

There were around 47 passengers in the second bus which was on its way from Manali to Chamba, an official said.

The chief minister said the state government would bear medical expenses of the injured. He also met the bereaved family members and expressed condolences.